Cambridge Stud welcomes HK opportunity

Cambridge Stud will break new ground this season when the iconic farm’s familiar gold and black checked silks will be in action in Hong Kong.

Principals Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay have been granted an ownership permit with expatriate New Zealander Jamie Richards to train their Group One-performed representative Red Sea.

“The Hong Kong Jockey Club invited I think around a dozen international owners to be part of the Hong Kong racing system,” Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre said.

“Cambridge Stud has a single permit and in Hong Kong terms for a PPG, a Private Purchase Griffin which is an unraced horse, or a raced horse which would go up there with a rating.

“Hong Kong is a very important market for New Zealand, they are well represented at the Ready to Run Sale and at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale every year.

“Having received the invitation to race a horse up there, we felt it was an opportunity not to be missed.”

A homebred son of Pierata, Red Sea was prepared by Andrew Forsman and was a juvenile winner and finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

“In Hong Kong terms, he ticks quite a few boxes, he’s a four-year-old now and will go into Class 3,” Plumptre said.

“The fact that he was Group One placed in New Zealand and a winner of quite a strong race suggested to us that he would be more than capable of holding his own up there.”

Red Sea underperformed in two starts as a three-year-old in Melbourne before an injury came to light and sidelined him for the rest of his season.

“He fractured a rib and we can only suggest it was an accident in his box, and it went unnoticed while he was in training,” Plumptre said.

“We couldn’t work out why he wasn’t extending in his races at Moonee Valley and Sandown.

“We got him home and did a complete scan and found the fractured rib and it took four months for him to recover.”

Red Sea was a trial winner at Taupo last month in the hands of regular rider Warren Kennedy.

“Warren gave us really good feedback and said he felt brilliant,” Plumptre said.

“Jamie wanted him to have a decent gallop right-handed, so we took him to Ellerslie for a gallop with a companion and, once again, he went very well.

“We were confident enough to put him on the quarantine list, and he leaves in two weeks’ time.”

Red Sea will continue the successful association Cambridge Stud has enjoyed with Richards.

“We’ve had a lot of luck with Jamie, both here and in Australia, with Probabeel the flagbearer and he trained a number of other good fillies for us so that gives us confidence we’ve got the right trainer,” Plumptre said.

“The important thing is that Jamie knows the New Zealand system and obviously knows Andrew Forsman and how well he has handled the horse.

“If he is competitive in Class 3 and can maybe get to Class 2 then that will be an important step and see the Cambridge Stud brand at that level.”

Red Sea will be given ample time to settle into his new environment before stepping out.

“I’m tipping that Jamie will feel his way and if he’s racing around Christmas time that would be good, but more likely toward the end of January,” Plumptre said.

“The important thing for us is to have a competitive horse up there and we’re confident we’ve got the right horse, it’s just a question if him acclimatising.”

A half-brother to multiple Australian winner Hard To Cross, Red Sea is a son of the Commands mare Egyptian Cross.

She is a half-sister to dual Group Three winner Egyptian Symbol with their dam the Gr.1 Railway (1200m) winner Our Egyptian Raine.

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-LOVERACING.NZ News Desk